Alcoa Building

Skidmore Owings & Merrill
1964

The two sides of the skyscraper

Like the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, which it anticipates by a year or so, the Alcoa Building uses external trusses--large x-braces. Unlike those in the "windy city," these are provided for stability against seismic disturbances. The building is sheathed in bronze-tinted anodized aluminum.